An electrode assembly is housed within a cylindrical case body having an opening at one end thereof and a closed end at the other end thereof. The open portion of the case body is sealed with a cover to form a case for a battery, and thereafter, the case for the battery is press-fitted to, for example, an annular jig, followed by a diameter reducing process, thus manufacturing a battery such as an alkaline secondary battery (see JP-A-2002-25603). With such a process, a battery having a high capacity can be fabricated.